My 40+ year old Betamax cameras are once again mobile! There is still much more refinement to be done, but this is a great first step.

My old Betamax cameras have to be plugged into a VTR to get power and send their video signal somewhere, but I figured out a couple of years ago that I could completely bypass the VTR by plugging the camera into my Sony VCS-100 camera switcher.

It was by sheer luck and happenstance that I even have a VCS-100. It came with the first Betamax VTR I bought back in June of 2023. I had no idea how rare they were until a few weeks ago, when I did a search to find out more about them and came up with absolutely nothing.

Anyway, I figured out that I could connect the composite A/V outputs on the VCS-100 to a digital recorder, and I didn’t need the heavier VTR at all. The only snag was that I needed a 12V power source to power the VCS-100. That’s when I came across a 12V power supply made for these old Sony VTRs. It’s made to plug into a car’s cigarette lighter, which is technically portable, but not as portable as I was looking for.

So, after some brainstorming, I found an adapter that fit my son’s 12V Dewalt drill batteries, and to my delight, it worked! So, I found a couple of 12V Dewalt knockoffs, because I didn’t want to keep borrowing my son’s, but I didn’t order a charger, so I couldn’t charge them without borrowing my son’s charger. So, I ordered my own, but it didn’t work.

Then, one day last week, I was watching a video where a guy powered his DSLR with a drill battery using a step-down voltage adapter. That’s when I realized I had five Craftsman 20V batteries and five Craftsman 20V chargers. I found a voltage adapter, and a receiver that works with my batteries, and Voila! We’re portable! I tested everything in a backpack. It will do until I can make a carrying case.

The first thing I’d like to change, though, is the DVR that I’m using. It’s not great. It’s made by DigitNow (because they help digits now), and it’s cool because it has a monitor built into it, so I can see exactly what I’m recording. The problem is that it’s very glitchy. It does alright if everything is still, but it can’t keep up with quick transitions between light and dark, like when my hand moves in front of my black shirt.

Tomorrow is the real test, though. I’m going to a pool party.